I Can Extract Game Items

"Rescue mission," August turned to face the others. "Looks like this will be fun."

Boris peered forward with a look of interest. "Abandoned Caverns huh? That's rogue mercenary territory. Should be fun."

"Fun for you, maybe," Ezran muttered. "For the rest of us, it's going to be dangerous."

"I'm in!" Gre

garious declared loudly. "A royal rescue is a mission worthy of a true warrior!"

"Right," August said while smirking. "Just try not to get yourself killed."

---

The party stood at the edge of the Abandoned Caverns.

It was an eerie expanse that stretched out before them.

The entrance was like a yawning mouth, with jagged stalactites and stalagmites forming sharp, toothlike structures. Faint whispers of wind echoed from within, carrying an otherworldly sound that sent chills through the group.

"Before we go in... I've heard about the Abandoned Caverns before," Lilo lowered her voice to nearly a whisper.

"Oh, why are we whispering? Is it a secret?" Gregarious voiced with a hushed tone causing the others to give him strange stares.

"So apparently, the Abandon caverns are mostly avoided because there are certain areas with reverse gravitational force... It could put anyone in danger if they stepped into it. Only the mercenaries know the layout of the caverns in and out that's why it's the perfect hiding spot for them," Lilo explained with a low tone.

"So we just have to be careful and stick together," August pointed out.

"Haha a little gravitational pull cannot stop this great warrior," Gregarious puffed his chest with a look of confidence.

"Let's just be careful," Ezran stated.

The group exchanged nods before stepping inside. The air grew heavier with every step, as latent magic mingled with the drip of water and distant growls that echoed ominously.

The Abandoned Caverns were as beautiful as they were dangerous. The walls shimmered with veins of glowing blue minerals, and patches of bioluminescent moss provided dim light.

Crystals jutted out of the floor and ceiling, some pulsating faintly. But the beauty was deceptive—this was no place for carelessness.

"Stick together," August voiced with a low tone. "This place is alive in more ways than one."

They moved cautiously, navigating narrow paths and avoiding treacherous-looking ground.

At one point, Gregarious stepped onto an innocuous patch of rock. The moment his foot landed, the gravity in that area reversed, pulling him violently toward the ceiling.

"HELP!" Gregarious shouted while flailing as he ascended.

"Of course, you're the first person to get into trouble," August let out a sigh before raising his hand.

His custom telekinetic spell, Phantom Grip, activated.

The air around Gregarious tightened as he felt an invisible hand envelop him. In the next instant, he was yanked back down and set safely on the ground.

---

System Notification:

[ Custom Spell: Phantom Grip used. Target secured. MP Cost: 120. ]

---

"Thanks, my lord!" Gregarious panted, looking sheepish. "That could've been bad."

"Could've been?" Lilo quipped with her eyebrows raised. "You almost became a ceiling ornament."

"I'll be careful next time ahem..." Gregarious coughed twice.

The group pressed on, encountering a few lone magical beasts along the way.

A Crystal Fangwolf lunged at them from the shadows with its translucent body refracting the light.

"Get back!" August shouted while conjuring Phantom Blitz and vanishing into the shadows. He reappeared behind the beast and slashed at it.

---

System Notification:

[ Phantom Blitz (Tier 2) used. Damage dealt: 4,400. Target slowed by 40%. ]

---

Lilo's arrows found their mark, pinning the wolf's legs as Boris brought his axe down with a thunderous swing.

---

System Notification:

[ Heavy Cleave used. Damage dealt: 2,300. Critical hit! ]

---

"Down," Boris said simply, wiping blood off his axe.

After several skirmishes and hours of cautious exploration, they reached a large chamber with three distinct tunnels branching out in different directions.

The air grew colder, and the concentration of mana was stronger here.

"Three paths," Ezran muttered while studying the tunnels. "Splitting up is risky."

"We don't have much of a choice," August replied. "The caverns are too vast. If we stick together, we'll waste too much time."

He turned to the group. "Ezran, you're with Gregarious. Lilo, go with Boris. I'll take the third path. If anyone finds anything, use the party chat to let us know."

"Understood," Lilo said while notching an arrow and stepping through the middle tunnel.

Gregarious saluted dramatically. "A warrior's duty is clear!"

Ezran sighed. "Great. I'm babysitting."

"Good luck," August voiced while chuckling as they split up.

---

As August moved down his tunnel, the light grew dimmer, and the air became heavier. The path twisted and turned, narrowing in some places and opening into small chambers in others.

He encountered nothing but silence.

The faint crunch of his boots on gravel was the only sound.

Meanwhile, Lilo and Boris moved cautiously down their path, encountering a few traps that they managed to disarm without incident.

Even after moving for over twenty minutes, they still hadn't come into contact with anything as well.

But it was Gregarious and Ezran who found trouble first. Their tunnel opened into a small chamber lit by glowing red crystals, and standing in the center was a figure in black armor.

His face was obscured by a hood.

"Well, well," the man's voice dripped with mockery. "Looks like your luck's run out, lads. I'm the one on patrol today."

Before Gregarious or Ezran could react, the mercenary lunged, drawing twin daggers that gleamed with a deadly aura.

---

System Notification:

[ Rogue Mercenary (Elite) encountered. Level 40. HP: 32,000. ]

---

Ezran barely raised his staff in time to cast Mana Shield, but the mercenary's strike shattered it instantly, sending him stumbling back.

---

System Notification:*

[ Mana Shield (Level 3) broken. Ezran HP -2,400. Remaining HP: 9,600. ]

---

Gregarious roared, charging forward with his sword raised. He swung with all his might, but the mercenary sidestepped effortlessly and retaliated with a spinning slash.

---

System Notification:

[ Spinning Slash used. Damage dealt: 3,800. Gregarious HP: 3,200. ]

---

"Ezran! A little help here!" Gregarious shouted, barely parrying another attack.

"I'm trying!" Ezran yelled before casting Arcane Bolt.

The spell struck the mercenary who had raised his arms in a crossed format at the last second.

He slid backwards by a few feet while staggering but this attack only did a little damage.

---

System Notification:

[ Arcane Bolt used. Damage dealt: 1,200. Target HP: 30,800. ]

---

The mercenary laughed while twirling his daggers. "Is that all you've got? This is going to be fun."

Sweat dripped down Ezran's brow as he opened the party chat. "We need backup. Now."

----

August was moving swiftly through his own side of the cavern when he received Ezran's message in the party chat.

---

[ Party Chat: Ezran ]

Ezran: We need backup. Now.

---

August pulled out his daggers as he pivoted on his heel, ready to sprint back to Ezran and Gregarious when a monstrous spider-like creature descended from the ceiling.

Its legs were long and spindly, covered in dark, chitinous armor, and its glowing red eyes locked onto him.

"Fuck! Bad timing!" August hissed as he skidded to a halt.

The creature's mandibles clicked as it hissed and reared its head back.

August should have known that something was coming when it took this action...

Because in the next moment, it suddenly shot out massive webs infused with a greenish, corrosive liquid.

The sticky strands covered the entire width of the tunnel in seconds, cutting off any chance of retreat.

"Of course.... just perfect..." August groaned while activating Phantom Blitz.

---

System Notification:

[ Phantom Blitz (Tier 2) used. Target: Void Spider. MP Cost: 800. ]

---

He vanished into a shadowy blur, reappearing behind the beast with his daggers raised.

His attack was swift, slashing into its thick armor and landing a clean hit.

---

System Notification:

[ Critical Hit! Damage dealt: 1,800. Target HP: 43,200/45,000. ]

---

The spider screeched in pain as its long legs flailed while it turned to counterattack.

August was forced to leap back as the creature swiped at him. Its claws sliced through the ground, creating an instant crevice

---

Meanwhile back in the other tunnel, Gregarious was running for his life.

"MUMMY! MUMMY! AHH! DON'T KILL ME! I WANNA LIVE!" his voice echoed through the caverns as he screamed.

His health bar was barely hanging on, sitting at a perilous 100 HP.
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Behind him, the rogue assassin was relentlessly chasing him.

Moving like a blur, the assassin darted between rocks and formations while brandishing his daggers.

Ezran cast a spell from a safe distance in an attempt to draw the assassin's attention away from Gregarious.

"Over here!" he shouted while launching a firebolt toward the rogue.

---

System Notification:

[ Firebolt used. Damage dealt: 2,300. Target HP: 29,700/32,000. ]

---

The rogue staggered slightly but recovered quickly, vanishing in a puff of black smoke before reappearing right in front of Ezran.

"Nice try, mage," the rogue said coldly while slashing with one dagger.

Ezran barely managed to raise his staff in time, activating Mana Shield to block the assault.

---

System Notification:

[ Mana Shield broken. Ezran HP: -3,000. Remaining HP: 3,600/12,000. ]

---

Greg, still hiding behind a rock, peeked out cautiously. "Should I help… no, he'll kill me…" he whispered to himself while clutching his sword nervously.

But when the rogue raised both daggers to strike Ezran again, Gregarious knew he couldn't stay idle.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"